The Inevitability of an Open Cloud The advantages of using the cloud are apparent, but the approaches to the cloud are still in a heated industry debate. Renting cloud space from a vendor, private clouds, open clouds – just what is the best choice and where is the industry heading? While renting cloud space from a vendor seems easy, it is difficult to move off these clouds, especially problematic when you’d like to test another provider’s cloud. Private clouds tie you into a verticalized stack, limiting flexibility and choice, not too mention are cost prohibitive. We are driving towards an open cloud, providing control and flexibility to users. An open cloud is the next reiteration of the web and what will power the web moving forward. John Engates, Chief Technology Officer at Rackspace, will talk about why the open cloud is inevitable and how OpenStack is leading the way.

Presented By:John Engates is CTO of Rackspace. He joined the company in August of 2000 and has worked in several areas of Rackspace including Operations, Professional Services and Customer Care. Most recently, Engates has been responsible for managing the ongoing development of Rackspace's Intensive segment. He was one of the leading forces behind Rackspace's Microsoft Gold Certification. Prior to joining Rackspace, Engates was a founder of Internet Direct, one of the oldest and largest Internet service providers in Texas.